ASEAN consumer organizations are deeply concerned about the rapid spread of cyber threats, with existing laws failing to keep up with fraudsters, posing a threat to the economy and lives. Data shows that Vietnam is badly hurt, with losses of 3.6% of GDP in 2023. Hong Kong consumers are losing no less than 25 million US dollars, while Thais are no less affected, with 78 million baht lost from their wallets or bank accounts every day. They have announced that they will join hands in signing an MOU to combine forces to fight online threats and protect consumer rights. Ms. Saree Ongsomwang, Secretary-General of the Consumer Council, revealed that the 'ASEAN Plus Three Strengthening to Protect Consumers in the Digital Economy and Artificial Intelligence' conference, which was held for the first time in ASEAN under the collaboration of the Consumer Council, Foundation for Consumers, Foundation for Consumers of Indonesia (YLKI), Federation of Consumer Organizations of Malaysia (FOMCA), as well as consumer organiza tions in the ASEAN +3 region, on August 29-30, 2024, was a great success. In addition to exchanging knowledge and information on prevention and management of cyber consumer rights violations, there was also the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to serve as a framework for cooperation between ASEAN consumer organizations to strengthen the exchange of information and knowledge that will enable all member countries to benefit equally, in order to develop consumer rights protection in each country and to enhance the capacity of officials of relevant agencies, which will greatly benefit Thai consumers. According to the Royal Thai Police, in the past 3 years (1 March 2022 - 31 July 2024), there have been 612,603 complaints about online threats, with a total damage value of 69,186 million baht, or an average of more than 78 million baht per day. Mr Ang Zhong Xin Wilfred, Deputy Head of Consumer Affairs, Consumers Association of Singapore, said that Singapore is deeply concerned about the rapid developm ent of AI and its use as a tool to deceive consumers in Singapore. In particular, the rise in voice spoofing and chatbot fraud has created a major problem for banks and the police, as Singapore lacks sufficient data and up-to-date laws to strictly control it. In the first half of 2024, 2,611 e-commerce complaints were received, more than half of the 3,711 complaints received in the whole of 2023. The top five issues were service provider rejections (922 cases), followed by delayed refunds (363 cases), poor service (332 cases), compensation (278 cases), and defective or non-compliant products (242 cases). The majority of cases were in the entertainment industry (559 cases), food and beverage (266 cases), electrical and electronics (183 cases), telecommunications (139 cases), and airlines (125 cases). Meanwhile, Singapore's relevant departments have been working with merchants on major e-marketplace websites and apps, such as Lazada and Shopee, to resolve disputes and seek stronger cooperation between domestic and international markets, as the majority of cyber threats originate overseas. Ms. Gilly Wong Fung-han, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Consumer Council, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, said that as a global financial centre and a leader in digital innovation, Hong Kong Over 100 digital transformation strategies are underway, and in July 2024, the Digital Policy Office was established to formulate robust and timely consumer protection policies and guidelines against AI-related threats. In 2023, online shopping fraud was the number one problem for Hong Kong consumers, accounting for 32.28% of the total. As of May 2024, there were 21 fake online video clips impersonating government officials or celebrities, and Hong Kong people were deceived into paying US$25 million after being tricked into believing they had a video call with the chief financial officer of a multinational company in the UK. In terms of prevention, a combination of measures has been used, such as u sing a tool called 'Scammeter' to detect fraud comprehensively online, promoting consumer education, monitoring both online and offline markets, such as the establishment of Online Price Watch and Oil Price Watch websites to monitor commodity and oil prices to increase transparency in pricing, and coordinating international cooperation, etc. Source: Thai News Agency